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Galley Tables

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A long time
Kodiak fisherman is back in town after weeks in an Anchorage hospital and is recovering well from
a benign brain tumor.

Originally from Montana,
72-year-old Al Burch is a commercial fisherman and executive director of the
Alaska Whitefish Trawlers' Association. At the end of August this year, after suffering two attacks,
doctors discovered that Burch had a brain tumor.

--(Burch 139 sec"Luckily it wasn't ... took me up to the hospital.")

After the
second attack, an MRI revealed the tumor. Burch was in Anchorage for surgery just two days later. It
took surgeons about six hours to remove what turned out to be a benign tumor.
Burch said the tumor had probably been growing for many years.

--(Burch 230 sec "The tumor's gone ... lower back.")

Burch is
currently undergoing physical therapy, because the surgery weakened his nerves
and affected his motor skills, but he is already back at work for a few hours a
day when he doesn't have therapy. He is also planning to attend Alaska Seafood
Marketing Institute meetings in Seattle
at the end of the month. He said he never stopped working, even when he was in
the hospital.

Burch is moving about freely these
days with the help of a walker and says he and his doctors are pleased by the
speedy pace of his recovery so far.

--(Burch 440 sec"They said probably ... bothers me a little bit.")

Burch said he is grateful for all
the e-mails, cards and flowers he received from friends and members of the
community while he was in the hospital and for their continuing love and
support. He plans to travel to Anchorage
for further tests in December. I'm Erik Wander.